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Aggie Adaptive Sports expands athletic norms Group to hold basketball game Saturday Homer Segovia
The Battalion estroying the notion that sports can’t be played sitting down, Aggie Adaptive Sports provides an opportunity for disabled students to play and compete in the sports they love. Aggie Adaptive Sports will host its first event of the semester Friday, a wheelchair basketball game from 5-8 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center. Games of wheelchair soccer, wheelchair football and wheelchair softball are also scheduled for this semester. Former student Rejy Bacchus, who founded Aggie Adaptive Sports last semester, said he first intended for the program to benefit veterans but soon realized it should extend its reach further. “We started gearing it toward veterans, especially veterans who are coming back with [post-traumatic stress disorder] and different disabilities as a way that they can reintegrate back into society, but also [to] have a great time and find that camaraderie again,” Bacchus said. “We realized that it would be better if we incorporated all of the A&M student body instead of just veterans so now its geared toward everybody.” Elliott Schwartz, president of Aggie Adaptive Sports and junior psychology major, said Aggie Adaptive Sports would organize sporting events the community asked for.
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“We’ll go to outside sources to bring funding in so we can go forward to host all of these events,” Schwartz said. “We want the organization to tell us what events they want and then we’ll put them on and they can just enjoy.” Schwartz turned his attention to helping veterans after seeing his brother suffer from PTSD, even changing his major in the process. “After going through multiple tragic events, it kind of changed the way I looked at everything,” Schwartz said. “I switched from being a business major to being a psychology major and wanting to help. It definitely propelled me in a different direction, and that’s why I’m so involved with veterans now.” Bacchus said the social support offered to veterans through programs such as Aggie Adaptive Sports is essential to handling the physical and emotional aftermath of war. “One of the big issues, especially with PTSD, is severe depression and a lot of isolation,” Bacchus said. “If we can get a lot of the veterans coming back to get out and try something, even if it’s just once, a lot of the times it will catch on and they’ll continue to go. If not for the sport itself, from the related benefits, the friendships that are made, the camaraderie and the competition.” Autumn McKenzie, veteran and senior marketing major, said the importance of social support for student veterans is even more imSee Adaptive on page 3
Eric Jones, senior civil engineering major and South Sudan representative, clarifies details about oil pipeline agreement Wednesday in Rudder at SCONA.
MID-EAST DISSECTED SCONA to conclude annual conference Jennifer Reiley The Battalion
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Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
Brennan James, senior psychology major, speaks Wednesday at SCONA.
fter a year of preparation, MSC SCONA hosted its conference, “Caught in the Sandstorm: From Persia to the Sahara.” The annual week-long conference is centered on international policy and SCONA invited expert speakers to discuss real world issues with A&M students and the local community. Ross Brady, chair of SCONA and senior urban planning major, said this year’s conference focused on the Middle East and North Africa and how recent events play into U.S. policy. The theme was chosen last March, soon after last year’s February conference ended. “It’s always difficult to
sports management
Olympian to headline lecture
Jonathan Sheen — THE BATTALION
Junior guard Jamal Jones scored 19 points Wednesday in a 63-48 win against Alabama.
m. basketball
Jones’ 19 leads A&M to win over Bama
Conner Darland The Battalion
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ehind a 19-point performance from junior guard Jamal Jones, Texas A&M defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 63-48 Thursday night at Reed Arena in front of a crowd of 7,089. Head coach Billy Kennedy said he was happy with his team’s overall performance. “I thought our guys did a good job of bouncing back from a tough game the other day,” Kennedy said. “Especially in the second half, we did a good job of attacking in transition and sharing the ball. It was good to make some tough plays. We took some charges, we got some loose balls, and we made the extra pass. We played like a team should play.” The game was close in the first, with the lead changing six different times. The Aggies (15-11, 6-7 SEC) went into halftime with a 24-23 lead over the Crimson Tide (10-16, 4-9 SEC). At the 15:58 mark in the second half, junior forward Antwan Space blocked a three-point shot by Alabama’s Trevor Releford, which led to a fast break layup by Aggie freshman guard Shawn Smith, changing the momentum in fa-
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vor of A&M. After a missed three-point shot by Alabama’s Rodney Cooper, junior guard Jordan Green made a fast break layup off the assist by Space, giving the Aggies a 13 point lead — their largest of the night — with 8:11 to go. Smith said he knew he would have a tough defensive matchup against Releford. “Going into the game, they were talking about how he was a great player and a great scorer, averaging like 20 points a game,” Smith said. “I think it was a nice challenge because if I want to be a great player, I’m going to have to be ready to play other great players.” Space came away with a career-high 12 rebounds and four assists. Space also recorded all three of the Aggies blocked shots. “I talked to the coaches, trying to find a role that could do to help our team out, and they told me to just rebound,” Space said. “If your shot’s not going in, just play defense and rebound, so that’s what I focused on today.” A&M welcomes Tennessee (16-10, 7-6 SEC) to College Station at 2 p.m. Saturday in Reed Arena.
Softball pitcher brings unique insight Katie Canales
The Battalion he seventh-annual Laboratory for Study of Intercollegiate Athletics lecture series will feature former University of Tennessee softball pitcher and U.S. Olympic medalist, Monica Abbott, at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Shane Hudson, the laboratory’s director and clinical associate professor, said Abbott will bring something new to the plate. “From a player’s standpoint, she has competed at the pinnacle of youth, collegiate, professional and the Olympic level,” Hudson said. “She has literally seen the world from the eyes of a female softball player. Her insight into female sports will give the audience a national as well as an international perspective.” Abbott’s status as a 2008 Olympian is a major component in attracting an audience for Friday’s lecture. Amber Elaine, sophomore psychology major, said that’s something to look up to. “I’m really interested in hearing what an Olympian has to say about what it takes to get it done,” Elaine said. “It’s really neat because Olympians are far and few between. She’s one
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of the top people to make it athletically. It has to take a lot to make it there. It has to take a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice.” Abbott’s work ethic is a characteristic that stuck out to Christina DeRuyter, freshman sports management major “In Monica [Abbott], we’ve noticed that she’s so motivated to be able to get to an Olympic level,” DeRuyter said. “It’s such an accomplishment that takes so much hard work. That’s definitely something to look up to — motivation and dedication and someone that always perseveres.” DeRuyter is in an event management class, which plans sport-related events around campus, including Friday’s lecture. DeRuyter said these lectures can be beneficial to a wide range of audiences. “I like hearing other people’s perspectives, especially since I’ve never played softball before,” DeRuyter said. “She has a different view point that I think would be really interesting to hear and especially how she’s motivated as a softball player and just in life in general.” Elaine said she expects Abbott to touch on issues that pertain to college students as a whole rather than only athletes. “I’m definitely looking See Abbott on page 3
pick the conference themes, because you have to pick them in about March in order to get a full year of planning, which is what it takes to put on this conference,” Brady said. “You have to be able to look a year into the future and pick a topic that’s going to be interesting and relevant the next February.” Hunter Hampton, director of programming for SCONA and sophomore international studies major, said this year’s theme is a topic of interest because, in recent years, the public thought the Middle East and North Africa were going to fade from attention, but events have brought it back into the spotlight. “The Arab Spring expedited the fall of several dictaSee SCONA on page 3
inside sports | 2 Women top Ole Miss in Oxford A&M beat Ole Miss 7361 on the road Thursday, led by 26 points from Courtney Walker. The team readies for a matchup Sunday against Kentucky, which will include a “Bookmark Game” campaign for childhood literacy.
service | 4 G.L.O.W. 5K to light campus Saturday One of the largest 5Ks on campus, hosted by Maggies and Aggie Men’s Club, will light up the night for the 10th year this Saturday.
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2/20/14 10:38 PM